Research indicates boom for telecoms equipment in 2011

Marketing firm Gartner has forecast that 2011 will see a worldwide rise in spending on IT, with business phone systems set to increase more than any other area.

The firm’s estimates have been revised, and now give a much more positive prognosis than was originally thought. Hot on the heels of the recent overall increase in hiring and a recovering stock market, Gartner predicts that global spending on information technology will swell by over 5 per cent, and anticipates the total to be in excess of $3.6 trillion (£2.3 trillion).

Firms supplying business VoIP look set to claim the lion’s share of this expansion. Spending on telecom equipment alone is set to increase by an impressive 9.1 per cent. As many companies look to take advantage of the emerging voice over internet protocol capabilities of many Smartphones, it is anticipated that this area will grow by 7.5 per cent.

Surprisingly, more traditional areas of IT, such as desktop personal computers, will not enjoy a comparable growth. Gartner has indicated that the increasingly popularity of mobile computing devices, and the forecasted explosion in their numbers as Apple’s competitors look to take a market share by releasing their tablets to rival the iPad, has taken a huge bite out of the market.

As positive as the news is, Gartner have advised companies to be cautious. Richard Gordon, Vice President of Research at the firm, commented:

“There are also growing concerns about the ability of key emerging economies to sustain relatively high growth rates. Nevertheless, as well as a fundamental enabler of cost reduction and cost optimization, investment in IT is seen increasingly as an important element in business growth strategies.

“As the global economy repairs itself in coming years, we are optimistic about continued healthy spending on IT.”